Double trouble at Swan Hill Trots

WEDNESDAY night’s Swan Hill Trots meeting was dominated by three drivers, Alex Ashwood, Jack Laugher and Jordan Leedham all driving doubles.

Ashwood opened proceedings, securing a trainer-driver double in the opening two races with Better Kiss Me and Cherokee Jac.

Laugher piloted the John Tormey-trained Shaq and the Julie Douglas-trained Jilliby Flash to be first past the post in the third and fourth events of the evening.

Leedham then finished the meeting by claiming victory in the final two events on the card, piloting Swiss Lightning home for Marnie Bibby, before winning the final race of the night aboard Online Model for Leroy O’Brien.

The feature event on the card was the Toshiba Air Conditioning Pace over 2240 metres, which was won by Jilliby Flash in a mile rate of 1:57.6.

Beginning swiftly from gate five to cross Trevor Dawson’s polemarker Community Art, four-year-old gelding Jilliby Flash defied all challengers to register a two-metre victory, ahead of Believe In Forever and Lorimermajor a metre back in third.

That win completed Laugher’s double, after guiding the John Tormey trained Shaq home in a mile rate of 1:53.9 half an hour earlier.

With Petreos (gate three) and Always Be Brendan (gate five) doing battle for the lead in the early stages, Shaq was able to find cover before going forward three wide over the last lap.

While Barack Enobrac came away from the inside to do battle, it was Shaq who proved too strong over the concluding stages, recording a two-and-a-half-metre win over Emjaybee, who used the sprint lane after making ground from the back, with Barack Enobrac finishing third.

Paul Railton joined Alex Ashwood as the other trainer-driver to secure a win, piloting his four-year-old gelding Marako Shark to victory in the fifth event for the night, the Laser Electrical Fibre Optic Battler In The Bush Maiden Pace.

Despite racing in the open outside Peppercorn Barry from gate five, Marako Shark outstayed his rivals to register a two-metre win in advance of Heart Of Oaklands and Illtellyousumthing, which after racing roughly in the score up, came from last in a mile rate 2:00.2.

The next Swan Hill Harness Club meeting will be in the new year, on Tuesday, January 16.